How To Stay Motivated When Self Employed

Working out how to stay motivated when you’re self employed may not be at the front of your mind when you first start up.It can be pretty exciting when you take the leap to being your own boss but when that initial start up process is over and you find yourself up and running, maintaining drive and momentum can be pretty challenging at times. Here are a 5 tips to stay motivated when you’re self employed;

1. Avoid the drift

Plan your day setting clear goals and tasks to achieve or you may get to the evening and feel you’ve simply drifted through it. Small wins count too such as tidying your workspace or finishing some accounts admin that you’ve been putting off.

2.Get the boring stuff out of the way and focus on the good stuff

Don’t put off those tasks that you hate to do – they just become a monkey on your back. Whilst you probably set up your business in order to do something you love, it’s a fact of life that running a business still involves some tedious tasks that are best to get out of the way so you can really focus on the fun stuff.

3. Be clear about your goals

Be honest, do you really want to be the next Richard Branson or really are you quite happy with a lifestyle business that suits your needs emotionally and financially? Once you’ve worked some of that out, write it down. You can then break it down from high level stuff into manageable tasks to get you on the road to where you want to be.

4. Network

Don’t put pressure on yourself to only make connections that will generate business. When you work on your own, it can be a fairly solitary existence if you don’t get out and about to have some face to face interaction. I’ve met my key suppliers at networking events and you never know, you might actually meet some new friends too!

5. Remember the Dream

Why did you set up your business in the first place? When the good times are rocking and the money is rolling in, complacency can embed itself in your day to day. You might actually sometimes feel a little bored. Equally, when things are looking a little tight and getting those sales in is tough, you might feel like giving up. Don’t let yourself do either. Remember your vision for the life you wanted to create when you started your business. Keep your passion and purpose in the forefront of your mind.